"What's with you guys?" Bast looked around in complete confusion. He hadn't even greeted anyone. Why did his reputation suddenly spike?Bast only knew that the news of him becoming a physician should have circulated last week—when Sergius's carriage arrived. So what exactly impressed all his neighbors just now? Wasn't it a bit too late to act amazed? Bast couldn't understand it at all."Excuse me." Bast finally offered a half-hearted wave to the crowd, turned around, and opened his front gate.However, Bast stopped dead in his tracks, feeling like he had entered the wrong yard. His eyes stared at the house in front of him—and he truly didn't recognize it as his own. The house looked completely different.The building looked much warmer. A neat new roof and sturdy pillars supported the structure, and Bast noticed

"That's exactly it! Father forced me! He got fooled by your holier-than-thou face! He thinks you're a great physician, but I'm not stupid!" Remu pointed her index finger at Bast's chest, venting all her frustration without holding anything back."I know you definitely harbor a dirty secret! There's no way someone like you possesses that kind of skill without using some deceitful method!""Someone like me? Like what?" Bast didn't know how she categorized him—but it sounded insulting."Yes! A customer at Ivy who—""SHUT UP!" Bast hissed again, silencing Remu's lips. "Can you stop mentioning that? It's not what you think. I didn't go to that place for the reason you assume!"Remu scoffed, pushing Bast's hand down. "Of course you'd deny it! Rae and Ranu clearly stated that men only go to that place for one purpose. Do you think I'm an idiot?"Bast did something he hadn't done for a while since he started accepting his situation—he rolled his eyes. "Your brothers just refuse to look deeper

Bast woke up and instantly knew he had made a mistake the moment the birds chirped.He sat on the edge of his soft new bed, rubbed his eyes, and muttered under his breath, "Damn it, I slept too soundly."He had planned to sneak out while everyone slept last night to visit Sniffer and his other pets in their nest. However, the physical and mental exhaustion from a draining week in Andera—combined with the plush new mattress Jarek bought—pulled him into a deep sleep until morning broke.Bast quickly washed his face with cold water from the pitcher, put on his coat, and slung his usual large bag over his shoulder. He stepped out of his room with extreme caution, treading on the new wooden floorboards without making a single sound.He peeked into the main room. Empty. Jarek's soft snores drifted from the end room, and Elara showed no signs of entering the kitchen yet. His parents remained fast asleep."Good," Bast muttered in relief. He knew they would forbid him from leaving if either of

"What the... Oh... You found one?" Bast pointed in absolute awe when he saw a beehive hanging from one of the branches—not a wasp nest, but an actual beehive.Stinger buzzed and flew up closer to the hive."Not yet; I didn't bring anything to harvest the honey." Bast naturally assumed Stinger would chase the bees away so he could take the honey. But what Bast witnessed next proved far more incredible than a simple eviction.Bast didn't know what substance Stinger secreted, but the bees swarming the hive suddenly gathered together. They left their nest but didn't fly away. They merely clustered right next to the hive, not daring to move anywhere, hovering perfectly still in mid-air."Did you do that to them? I mean, are you controlling them?" Bast pointed in pure disbelief, even though the proof hung right before his e